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Annette Ramke, CHHC: Using Real Food to Help Kick Cancer

At Living Beyond Breast Cancer, we encourage women affected my breast cancer to stay informed and up-to-date with all the information they can on taking care of their mind and bodies while going through treatment. In fact, we feel it is important that no matter what stage you might be in–newly diagnoses, in-treatment, remission or recovery–your health and nutrition is paramount. Today at the LBBC blog, we welcome Annette Ramke, a certified health coach and cancer survivor, as she shares how eating “Real Food” made all the difference to her.

For anyone who has ever heard the words, “You have cancer,” life as hereto known begins to crumble. Suddenly, thrown into Cancer World you are left reeling and attempting to figure out: What do I do now? Medical doctors have one set of recommendations about what needs to happen and this usually involves some combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. But stuck in this life-or-death situation, you want to know: What else is there? There has to be more I can do to up my chances of beating this crummy disease. There is.

Unless you are lucky enough to be treated in a center which takes an integrative approach to cancer from the get-go, you are unlikely to find any other ideas coming from those whose primary goal is treating your cancer. But you can put together your own integrative and holistic Cancer-Kicking Team, which may include complementary and alternative (CAM) modalities and practitioners in addition to conventional docs and approaches. Everything from acupuncture to Reiki to meditation and beyond can be supportive in physical, mental and spiritual ways during your cancer journey. But there is another important and powerful Team member, often neglected, which I would encourage you to include: Real Food.

By Real Food I mean a whole food, plant-based diet. Such a diet is anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting and cancer-kicking. Focusing on filling your plate with vegetables in an array of colors, whole grains like quinoa, millet and brown rice and plant-based proteins such as beans, lentils and fermented soy products give your body the nutrients, fiber and phytochemicals it needs to heal faster, stay strong during treatment, and bounce back more quickly.

When I changed the way I viewed what I was putting into my body while going through cancer; when I focused on crowding out the processed foods, simple carbs and sugary drinks; when I added in life-giving leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, mighty miso and great, whole grains, I steadily and very noticeably experienced greater well being, more energy and better moods than I had ever before, while in the midst of cancer treatment! My family, friends and doctors were amazed at how well I was doing. Could what I put on my plate have that big of an impact. In a word: yes!

For those working on prevention of or recovery from cancer, real food can play a huge role in maintaining and regaining health. In a world in which so much is, to a great extent, out of our control – like our genetics and the environment at large – what we put on our plates and hence into our bodies is a decision over which we do have control. It is something we can take into our own hands and use to support our health and well-being. When framed this way, getting into your kitchen to cook a meal changes from being a dreaded chore to a radical act of self-care.

Whether you are facing cancer, or working to prevent it, I would empower you to discover the delicious, cancer-kicking goodness of real food!

Annette Ramke, CHHC, is a certified health coach and breast cancer survivor. She took an integrative approach to treatment and focused on a whole food, plant-based diet. She recently co-authored a book (with Kendall Scott, CHHC), Kicking Cancer in the Kitchen: The Girlfriend’s Cookbook and Guide to Using Real Food to Fight Cancer, which will be published October 2. Learn more at KickingCancerInTheKitchen.com!

6 thoughts on “Annette Ramke, CHHC: Using Real Food to Help Kick Cancer”

So glad to see someone else approaching their journey the same way I do. Rarely do I see Integrative or CAM included in others’ treatment plans for themselves.
I believe it’s going to be the only thing that extends my life – Western medicine cannot be the only knife in this fight.

Such a simple, but powerful way to keep our bodies as strong as they can be! Spread the word and teach our kids from an early age…… I am a six year survivor (triple-negative) and use food as my biggest defense.

As a recently diagnosed triple-negative who has just begun the chemo journey, I believe that the food I put into my body is just as important as surgery, chemo and radiation in fighting my cancer. But, I am confused – my nutritionist advised that breast cancer patients should avoid soy, in addition to sugar. Are there specific soy products that are safer than others?

I just started the green smoothie approach and am now almost soley vegan. I just wish I had not listened when the docs told me to eat lots of dairy. I am sure my inactivity and the high cholesteral diet very much slowed my recovery. Yeah to greens! (and reiki of course)

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Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) is a national, nonprofit organization located outside Philadelphia. Our mission is to connect people with trusted breast cancer information and a community of support. Want to learn more or get involved? Visit our website, lbbc.org, give us a call at (855) 807-6386 or email us at mail@lbbc.org.

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The views and opinions of our bloggers represent the views and opinions of the bloggers alone and not those of Living Beyond Breast Cancer. Also understand that Living Beyond Breast Cancer does not medically review any information or content contained on, or distributed through, its blog and therefore does not endorse the accuracy or reliability of any such information or content. Through our blog, we merely seek to give individuals creative freedom to tell their stories. It is not a substitute for professional counseling or medical advice.